Blood Banana

Blood Banana - Musa acuminata
Family : Musaceae - Banana family

 Note: The cluster of flowers is hidden by large overlapping bracts.  Birds are attracted to the flowers.

Blood Banana
Zone C

This is a banana species that is excellent for an ornamental planting for its bronze to red variegated leaves and medium-sized trunks.   My experience is that it needs semi-shade to grow well.  Many birds are attracted to its flowers.  More of such species can be planted at certain locations in the park in the future.

Highlights today at the park (14 May)

Traveller's Palm - Ravenala madagascarensis
Location : Zone C

 The Traveller's Palm is not exactly a palm.  It belongs to the Banana family (Musaceae).  It has a unique name which indicates that it originated  from Madagascar. In this post I have included a picture of the Areaca catechu palm which is presently bearing fruits.  Palms have two main shapes, fan-like or feather-like.  Thus the Pinang tree (Areca catechu) is feather-like while the Traveller's Palm is fan-like.  The Pinang is a popular garden tree in all Malay kampungs in Sarawak.  They outlived people who first planted them and as such these trees can grow very tall and in many old pictures of Sarawak's towns and villages we can see them over-topping villages and other trees in the kampungs or rural landscapes. Today I bumped into a dragonfly which variety I have not seen below.  Checkout the pictures at the inset and below.....

CU of a dragonfly....
Zone G

Pinang - Areca catechu
Zone G

Spiderhunter pollinating the Sexy Pink

Clumps of Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink' planted at Heliconia Valley

 The many clumps of Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink' are doing well at the Heliconia Valley area at Zone D.  Often times the Little Spiderhunter would visit the inflorescences to hunt for nectar and small insects especially tiny ants that are attracted by the sweet nectar.  When the Spiderhunter pushes its beak into the flower to look for nectar it is also doing another very important function i.e. pollinating.  The pendulous inflorescence have very colourful pink bracts which are basically false flowers.

Little Spiderhunter thrushes its beak into the flower to look for nectar.

Heliconia Valley and Footpath

Heliconia chartacea 'Sexy Pink', Heliconia Valley walk

Here's some collection of heliconias at the Park.  I have planned a special area to exhibit the heliconias called the Heliconia Valley.  Heliconias are useful as cut flowers, besides being attractive to the birds.  They are an ideal plant for the Kambatik garden (Malaysian garden) because they thrive in our tropical climate.  furthermore they require minimum maintenance.
Checkout how I use them as cut flowers in the Kambatik-style floral arrangement here...>>>

Heliconia caribaea

H. rostrata

H. latispatha

Botanic Island One, Mid-hill footpath

Botanic Island One, Mid-hill footpath

Heliconia 'Golden Torch'

Heliconia 'Lobster Claw'

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Heliconia pssitacorum (Parrot flower)

Pick of the park - Pisang Lengki ( Iban) - Musa hirta

Location : Botanic Island One

Pisang lengki (Iban) - Musa hirta

Besides an excellent plant for the Kambatik garden landscaping, this wild banana species can be eaten.  Its shoots or 'umbut' in Malay can be cooked in coconut milk, boiled or grilled as salad.